The present invention relates to a multipurpose locking device, designed to prevent thefts of trailers, heavy tows and so called dollies, i.e., having coupling elements with a pull rod and a turn table, designed to haul a trailer by means of a truck, all of which are provided with coupling devices designed to effect a connection with a traction vehicle.
Within the above-mentioned technical field, a plurality of solutions have been suggested to prevent heavy tows, trailers and dollies from being stolen when they are parked. Due to various (e.g.) regulations in various countries, regarding the allowable length of vehicles, sometimes loaded trailers as well as dollies must be parked in parking areas for quite a long time, particularly at the borders of a country, but later be connected to trucks, traction vehicles for tailers, etc. This means that these trailers, towable wagons and dollies are sometimes stolen, which results in large economic losses. In Germany, for example, the allowable length of a car and its trailer is just 18 m, whereas in Sweden the allowable length is 24 m. A car and a dolly as well as a trailer have a length of 25.5 m while a traction vehicle for a trailer and a trailer have a length of 18.35 m, which is the European standard.
Known locking devices for towable wagons, trailers and dollies are difficult to apply on the eyelet of the pull rod of the trailer or the dolly or on the kingpin of the trailer. These eyelets and kingpins are lubricated with grease and the grease sticks to the locking device as well as the operator, when the locking device is applied and removed. Also, different locking devices must be used for eyelets and kingpins. This means that the operator must have available several locking devices for eyelets and several locking devices for kingpins when the tow, the trailer or the dolly is to be locked during parking. The whole procedure to lock these vehicle parts is complicated and intricate and the operator and locking devices are soiled.
The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of locking devices for towable wagons, trailers or dollies, and to provide a multipurpose locking device for this purpose, which smoothly and easily can prevent a trailer, a tow or a dolly from being stolen, i.e., being connected to an unauthorized traction vehicle when said towable wagons are parked without a traction vehicle.
According to the inventive idea, the above-mentioned problems are solved by means of a locking device which comprises an integral box-shaped lock house in which the coupling device on the tow, the trailer or the dolly is locked to the locking device by means of a locking shaft which extends through the main part of the locking device and in this way prevents the tow, the trailer or the dolly from being connected to any traction vehicle.
A locking device is obtained according to the invention, which can be used on an eyelet as well as on a kingpin, requires insignificant efforts when it is applied, results in a more secure locking, is difficult to break, is economic to manufacture, protects the operator from being soiled by the grease, which surrounds the coupling device when it is enclosed by the locking device, is easy to store since all the grease and dirt is enclosed by the locking device and consequently does not soil other tools or the like, as well as have a long life.